Kim's Hero
by Etherelemental
Summary: At the end of a mission, Kim talks with Ron about something she's never told anyone. ONESHOT R


Kim tested the rope and when she was satisfied that it was tight enough and the henchmen she'd just finished tying up weren't going anywhere, she turned around to pull Ron out from under the desk he'd taken shelter under during the fight. "It's okay Ron, you can come out now," Kim commented, only slightly annoyed about how expected it was that Ron would do something like that if he got the chance. Though, more annoyed that she didn't think about that than Ron actually doing that.

"Good job, KP!" Ron called out as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Yeah!" Rufus agreed.

Kim sighed. It always seemed that Ron would duck out of the fight if he wasn't forced into a confrontation. "Well, that takes care of…" Kim trailed off; trying to remember whose plan it was that they stopped this time. All Kim could remember was that it was someone new. "Who was it this time?"

"Not sure, but think you'll get on the news again this time?" Ron asked, as the authorities hauled the henchmen and their boss away. No one would have caught the slightly irritated tone, unless they knew Ron as well as Kim did.

Kim sighed, looking up at the skylight in which they had made their entrance. The way Ron said that, confirmed what Felix had told her that morning. How Ron was a little upset about how she always got the credit for everything, even during those times when she knew that Ron was the one who'd saved the day. However, she wasn't sure about when she might be able to talk with him about it. So, she then quickly turned her attention to her Kimmunicator. "Wade, when's our ride getting here?"

Wade took a sip from his soda as he did some typing on his computer with one hand. "They should arrive in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks Wade. You rock as usual," Kim praised her computer buddy. That gave her some time to talk with Ron, and hopefully resolve this ugly sitch that was just starting to brew between them. Ron wasn't prone to outbursts that might tear the team apart, but Kim wasn't sure if this time it might cause an irreversible rift to form between them if it wasn't diffused quickly. She pocketed her Kimmunicator and walked over to Ron.

"So? When're we getting out of here?" Ron asked as she approached.

"When? When?" Rufus chimed in, clearly excited about something.

Kim sighed again. The problem wasn't so much what she was going to say, but rather how exactly she was going to start. After all, that was usually the hardest part whenever Ron got a problem, since if she didn't start it correctly, he'd likely take all she said and forget about it. He'd done that several times before, and Kim was worried each time it happened. "Our ride will be here in about fifteen, Ron."

"Awwwwwwww!" Ron complained. "I was hoping for some Bueno Nacho before they closed today!"

"Awwww-huh-uh!" Rufus sobbed, sounding in complete agreement with Ron.

"At least we have time to talk, Ron."

"Huh? About what?" Ron asked. Then after a moment, his face grew a horrified expression. "No! You're going to break up with me, aren't you?"

Kim shook her head. Even though that probably wasn't the best thing to say, period, at least he'd be willing to listen to her after she reassured him that her desire to talk with him wasn't about her wanting to break up. At least that's what she hoped the end result wouldn't be. "No, Ron. I need to talk with you about something that Felix told me earlier today."

"Felix? What's it about?" Ron seemed to calm down a little, but sounded wary.

Kim walked over to some equipment that had been shut down during the fight and leaned against it. "He told me about how you're upset with how I'm getting all the attention from these missions."

Ron stared at Kim, speechless. Then in a subdued tone, Ron said, as he made his way over to the desk he had hidden under earlier and sat on it, "I guess I shouldn't have opened my big mouth again."

Kim quickly made her way over to him and put her hands on his shoulders, causing him to look at her in the eye. Making him see the concern she felt should be mirrored there. "Ron, I know you didn't want me to know, but don't you see? This is something that I have to know about. If you're having doubts about how well we work as a team, then we need to work them out!"

Ron sighed. "Is that what this is about, KP? You don't want me to come anymore?" He was clearly misinterpreting what she was telling him. Again.

Kim couldn't bear the hurt feelings she saw in Ron, so she looked down, so she wouldn't have to look at him. Letting her hands slide down his arms, then drop to her side, she answered, "No Ron. That's not it." Pausing for a breath, Kim's mind raced to think of how to put this delicately. "I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to keep you from being the best that you can be."

Ron got off the desk, and moved in front of Kim, looking at her directly. His seriously concerned expression painted on his face. "KP? What are you trying to tell me then?"

Kim turned away, not able to take what she saw there, and took a few steps away, looking around the lair absently. "I'm trying to tell you that it doesn't matter if everyone ignores you like they've done."

"Oh," Ron said, suddenly depressed.

Kim turned towards Ron, realizing the mistake she made and hurried to correct it. "No Ron. That's not what I mean. I mean that you've always been the one that's helped me through everything. Why I said it doesn't matter if no one knows what you've done is because, shouldn't it only matter if I know?" Kim let him digest that for a moment, before continuing on, not letting him have a chance to say anything at this moment. "I mean, you've always been there for me, no matter how I treated you. Like when you got your mother to drive me and Walter Nelson to the orthodontist when we had locked braces, or the time when you refused to let me go on that mission when I was disappearing and told me to stay in my room so you could find a way to keep me from disappearing completely. Then even when I didn't do that and left to go on a date with Josh Mankey and you didn't get upset with me." Kim took a deep breath, glad that Ron wasn't showing any signs of trying to say anything. This was hard enough as it was since she still wasn't sure about what his reaction was going to be about the whole sitch. "What I'm trying to say is, that I don't think that I'd be able to have done anything without you Ron."

Kim watched as Ron's mind processed the information. He definitely was being thrown for a loop here. After all, this was the first time she's ever really told anyone about this. Even Wade didn't know, since she never had put it in her online diary. Finally after a few tense minutes, Ron finally seemed to have reached a decision. "Kim," Kim's heart started beating faster in fear of what Ron's reaction could be, "I'm not sure what you're really saying."

Kim could have slapped herself. How could she forget that Ron could be incredibly dense sometimes? Yeah, she probably had thought about it, but she had seriously hoped that he wouldn't be that way this time. "Ron, what I'm trying to say is that, even though I'm a hero to the world, you'll always be my biggest hero."

Ron's face went blank the moment Kim said that. Kim could imagine the questions going on in her friend's mind: Did she really mean it? Was she trying to just make him feel better or something? Or was this all just a cruel, cruel dream?

Finally, after several moments, Ron's expression shifted, letting Kim know that his mind was occupied once more. "Are you serious, Kim?" She nodded slowly, wanting to make certain that he saw it. Ron turned away and started pacing at a slightly hurried pace. "I don't know, Kim. You've said a lot of things to me just to make me feel better. This has to be one of those times."

Kim rarely saw Ron this vulnerable. He usually hid behind a façade of a carefree attitude that allowed him to shrug off some of the most hurtful things that people have thrown at him. Kim knew that if one of their foes caught Ron at a time like this, they could effectively destroy him completely. "No Ron. You've always been there to support me, even when we had fights and were upset at each other." When Ron didn't show any signs of comprehending what she was talking about, she elaborated a little more. "When you became the assistant manager at Bueno Nacho, we had a fight about me not wanting you to excel and just remain my sidekick. Then after I got captured, you didn't hesitate to come save me. That's why you've always been my strength, Ron. If you weren't with me, I don't think that I would have been able to last this long, if I ever had started."

Ron seemed to look a lot better when Kim added that last bit. "Really Kim? I'm your hero?" Kim felt relief flood through her as she heard the hope in Ron's voice.

"Really?" Rufus chimed in, having remained silent through the whole exchange up to this point.

Kim nodded as she caught a glimpse of something that she hadn't expected to see when she thought of all his possible reactions. His eyes were welling up with tears. "Ron, I couldn't save the world without you. Whenever _I_ get in trouble, you're always right there to help out. You don't even ask for favors from me…" Kim trailed off as she remembered times when Ron HAD asked her for favors. But then, she quickly continued. "I- I mean not usually. Besides, the favors you've asked me for are ones that I'd give to any of my friends."

Ron smiled, and Kim walked over to pull Ron in to a tight hug. She knew that he needed one, if only to have a release for all the emotions that were surely welling up within him. Kim knew that she had several emotions that were threatening to burst if they weren't allowed an outlet. Kim wasn't sure how long they remained like that, but soon she heard the sounds of their ride approaching. "So, will you still be my sidekick?" Kim asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.

Ron returned the smile. "Of course, KP. You never had to ask."

* * *

Author's notes: So how was it? I know I've told some people that I was going to work on other stories first, but I wanted to get this done before I lost the urge to write it. I got the inspiration to write this from the song by Bette Midler, The Wind Beneath My Wings. If you haven't heard it, you should take some time to do so. Anyway, I know that this is shorter than my usual fics, but I couldn't think of how to make it longer without taking focus away from where I wanted it. So, please let me know what you thought about it. 


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